Whose House and Who’s Next: AEW’s Black World Champions of Tomorrow

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During a recent episode of Jesse Collins’ "Gentlemen's Wrestling" podcast, he, Lyric Swinton and I engaged in a conversation highlighting the significance of Swerve Strickland's historic AEW World Championship victory. As the first Black male wrestler to claim this title, Strickland has openly discussed the pro

AEW's investment in Strickland has unequivocally paid off. His consistent delivery of captivating matches and his adeptness in seizing every opportunity have rightfully earned him the championship belt. However, authentic representation necessitates more than just one Black main-event wrestler.

True inclusivity requires the ongoing cultivation of Black talent throughout their careers. While Nyla Rose's championship reign in the women's division in 2020 was noteworthy, the absence of another Black world champion since then is glaring. Moving forward, it is imperative to identify and provide support to Black talent with championship potential.

So, here are several wrestlers whom I believe possess the potential to become future world champions with the necessary support. This list is not exhaustive – as discussed during the podcast, there are many more Black talents who exude the "it factor" and we will continue to add to this list over time.

Future AEW Women's World Champions:

Athena:

To me, the most obvious choice for the next Black AEW world champion, regardless of gender, is Athena. The current ROH Women’s Champion has held that belt for over 500 days and continues to defend it in fantastic matches with the likes of Willow Nightingale, Hikaru Shida and more. Her compelling character work alongside Billie Starkz and Lexy Nair might not translate directly to the weekly audience tuning in to dynamite immediately, but she's a consummate professional, and she will undoubtedly make the adjustments possibly needed to get over with the main AEW audience. Regardless, her in ring work speaks for itself, and she will assuredly captivate audiences with her hard hitting style, and deceptive agility, which makes her one of the most unique performers in the world, more than deserving of an eventual AEW women's world title reign.

Willow Nightingale:

The current AEW TBS champion, Willow nightingale is another talent with all the makings of a superstar. Her stock has been rising rapidly over the last 18 or so months, and she has consistently been putting in the work to not only deliver stellar in-ring work, but to also become a fan favorite everywhere AEW goes. She’s far and away the top babyface in the company and she has been for a while. There have been several opportunities over the top few months to belt her up and push her to the moon and it’s fantastic to see that we now appear to be capitalizing on her momentum. Everyone wants to root for her, and she is exactly the kind of performer you would want as the face of your company, and she has already been representing AEW across other promotions like CMLL and Stardom. Willow has has some absolute bangers in the past few months with the likes of Skye Blue, Riho and Queen Aminata (more on her later.) Additionally, she has unfinished business with Mercedes Moné, and though it appears we will be getting a rematch between the two at AEW Double or Nothing in just a few weeks, this has the potential to be a long-lasting rivalry that we can circle back to several times over.

Mercedes Moné

The image of the C.E.O. as the AEW women’s world champion feels more like a question of “when” rather than “if. ” Formerly one of the biggest free agents in the world of wrestling , Mercedes Moné is finally all elite, and she has signed a monster contract, rumored to make her one of the highest paid female wrestlers in history. The performer formerly known as Sasha Banks is a multi-time world champion that simply oozes starpower. She’s one of the best bell to bell wrestlers in the world and she carries herself with the confidence to match. She’s quick, innovative and cool and there’s a reason the billionaire opened his wallet to ensure the company picked her up.

Of course, Mercedes has not wrestled since her ankle injury in NJPW Strong Women’s Championship bout with Willow Nightingale. As a result, questions naturally arise about whether or not she will be able to bounce back and perform at the same level, but personally, that's not a concern that I share. Even if there is an element of ring rust when she first returns (which is natural), she’s too good, and too determined to be held down for long. We know that in her first AEW match, she will be entering the TBS title scene, and I think that makes perfect sense, seeing as she has a storyline already set up with Willow. With that being said Mercedes as AEW women’s world champion seems to be an understandable inevitability, but there’s no need to rush it. Have her familiarize herself with the division in the ring and climb the rankings, (which only seem to matter half the time tbh but whatever), and then when the time is right, strap the rocket to the back, make her world champion & have her hold the belt for like…forever.

Queen Aminata:

A few months back, I wrote an article describing Queen Aminata as the underrated hero of AEW tv. While we haven’t seen her showcased on dynamite or collision nearly as much in recent weeks as compared to the beginning of the year, she’s been putting in work on Thursdays advancing to the ROH Women’s World TV Title Tournament by defeating Taya Valkyrie. Though Aminata went on to lose in the finals to Billie Starkz, it did not dim her star at all. Aminata has taken a lot of pins since signing with AEW, (and honestly even before that) from the likes of Toni Storm, Serena Deeb and Kris Statlander. Regardless of the results of these matches though, all of these matches have served as impressive showcases of her athletic ability and resilience. She also has a compelling ability to get you to bite on every single near fall, even in matches where the results on paper seem fairly predictable. Queen Aminata has the ability to get viewers to suspend disbelief while they watch her wrestle, a feat that is nearly impossible to achieve in today’s day and age. Additionally, she is such an interesting, unique, person outside of the ring, and that can certainly be used to influence her TV presentation over time. With the right booking, I can absolutely see Queen Aminata holding the top belt in the AEW Women’s division in due time.

Future AEW Men's World Champions:

Shane Taylor:

Right now, Shane Taylor Promotions is experiencing an uber successful revitalization. Taylor, alongside Lee Moriarty and newly recruited stable member Anthony Ogogo are finding themselves on AEW TV more and more. Whether it be their recent mini feuds with people like Orange Cassidy, Daniel Garcia, Hook or Katsuyori Shibata, they have, as a group, put on good showings in each of these outings. Though they are not winning many of these matches, it is always better to be showcased on TV rather than not, you can’t get over or garner heat if the audiences aren’t seeing you. Shane Taylor, the group’s namesake is obviously the leader, and seemingly the most prepared to be primed for a singles push right now (though I do anticipate adding the likes of Moriaty and Ogogo to these lists soon). He’s a menacing promo and he carries himself with a certain swag that helps him come across as a genuine title threat regardless of how many losses he might have taken recently. Taylor is a wrestling veteran that is a perfectly believable mid card title challenger right now, so with time and strong storylines, I think he can absolutely make the jump to the main event scene, and ultimately, potentially become world champion one day .

Powerhouse Hobbs:

Will Hobb’s recent injury is just a minor setback to a major comeback (we are manifesting it right here right now). Before he got hurt in his match with Jon Moxley, he was beginning to garner what seemed to be quite a significant push. He was being featured more consistently on AEW TV, feuding with the BCC and executing monster singles squash matches across both Dynamite and Collision. The truth of the matter is, Hobbs is a talent that has not been booked in a way that is truly representative of his talent. From his time with Team Taz, to his brief TNT title reign, eachTV depiction has left something to be desired. His “Book of Hobbs” era had potential, and made him a super compelling character for a few weeks. Ultimately though, his booking felt directionless, and as a result, I think AEW moved on from the idea too quickly, instead, adding him to the Don Callis family, and dimming his potential to shine as a singles star.Powerhouse Hobbs is an attention grabber, he’s jacked, athletic and better on the mic than many give him credit for. Thus far, he has largely been used as just the “muscle” for a stable, but he can be more than that. His matches with people like Ospreay and even Sammy Guevara earlier in the year proved that he is incredibly light on his feet while also outrageously strong.

Once he comes back from injury, we have the opportunity to start fresh with his character and rebuild him to be presented as a main event caliber performer in due time. Even on a roster as stacked as AEW’s, I think Hobb is distinctive and underrated, and he has an incredibly high ceiling, and one day, could even be a respectable world champion.

Ricky Starks:

From one Team Taz member to another we go. I know opinions on Starks vary greatly, with somewhat understandable questions and concerns, spread among them, but I often think Black talent are not afforded the benefit of the doubt, so I am going to give it to them. Also, this is my website, so I will do what I want.

Though we have not seen too much of Ricky Starks this year on AEW, it was not long ago at all that we were seeing him rack up major victories and garner large chunks of TV time. Thinking back to just last summer, Starks won the 2023 Owen Hart Cup and was one of the main staples of a newly launched Collision. I would argue that from an on-screen character perspective, Starks was the performer that suffered the most from CM Punk’s departure from the company. It was clear that Punk and Starks were set to face off at the impending pay per view, but ultimately due to the nature of the circumstances, plans were quickly changed and Starks wrestled Bryan Danielson in a banger of a strap match. However, ultimately it became clear that this feud with CM Punk was supposed to be a vital part of his creative plans, and that without it, AEW struggled to figure out how to position him on the card. Later, he went on to be partnered up with Big Bill, even going on to win the AEW World Tag Team Titles, but I am still holding out hope for another singles push. We saw what Starks is capable of in the ring when he faced Danielson and we’ve seen his witty mic skills put to use in great promo battles with MJF. I would argue that we have already seen Ricky Starks demonstrate the character work and in ring talent needed to be world champion, just maybe not both simultaneously yet. He’s a cool, smooth talker that can go in the ring, and that will never go out of style in wrestling.

The Bounty Hunter:

A fairly recent signee, Bryan Keith, also known as "The Bounty Hunter," should not be overlooked in the future world champion conversation . His journey is very similar to that of Queen Aminata, both brought in initially to test top stars, their talent eventually earning them AEW contracts. Keith, a veteran of the independent circuit, is no stranger to leaving audiences awestruck. His strikes are legendary, and he consistently delivers some of the most electrifying matches on any card he's booked for. While he's been absent from AEW screens lately, hopefully that's just a temporary lull. Imagine him strategically maneuvering his way into the orbit of "Hangman" Adam Page, the wildly popular cowboy champion. Their shared Western-themed personas could create a compelling narrative, one that builds heat until the inevitable clash when they realize “the town ain't big enough for the both of them”

Anthony Bowens:

Photo Credits: All Elite Wrestling

As beloved as The Acclaimed are to the AEW audience, (myself included I won't lie) I always wonder what might come next for them as a trios competitors alongside Billy Gunn, a tag team, and as singles wrestlers. It seems The Acclaimed have won everything there is to win as a group, and with no clear storyline for this following their loss to the Bang Bang Gang, I begin to indulge the idea that the group cannot live forever. Anthony Bowens is particularly interesting to me as a potential singles star. ust 33 years old, he's already proving to be a force to be reckoned with. Charismatic and underrated in the ring, Bowens possesses a magnetic presence that draws fans in. He's the kind of competitor audiences naturally want to rally behind.If he does go the singles route and he continues to showcase his abilities and build momentum, it wouldn't be surprising to see him vying for the AEW World Championship in the future.

In this article, we've highlighted potential future AEW world champions among Black talent, but it's important to stress that this rundown isn't exhaustive. There are undoubtedly numerous individuals with the "it factor" who warrant recognition and backing. I encourage everyone to contribute their thoughts and suggestions on other wrestlers they believe could rise to championship status. It's crucial to invest in Black talent at every phase of their wrestling careers – from purchasing merchandise to amplifying their matches on social media. Elevating Black talent as main eventers and world champions isn't solely about representation; it's about affording opportunities and dismantling barriers in an industry where talent can often go unnoticed. While the AEW roster is stacked, advocating for underrepresented wrestlers is essential to ensure all deserving talent receives the spotlight they deserve. Let's persist in advocating for diversity and inclusion in professional wrestling and throw our support behind Black wrestlers as they ascend to the pinnacle of the sport.

Whose House and Who’s Next: AEW’s Black World Champions of Tomorrow

Future AEW Women's World Champions:

Future AEW Men's World Champions:

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